Filing device



May 3, 1927. 1,626,886

RL M. SMITH FILING DEVICE Filed Feb.2o. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 lll" i 33u Y 24- 2f h u .25,

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HV'INESSES: A [N VENTOR gy- ATTORNEY Patented May 3, 1927.

RITTENHUSE M. SMITH, OE MOBILE, ALABAMA.

i FILING Application led February The present invention relates to cardf'1l ing devices.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a device ofthe aforesaid type for filing cards in accordance with two kinds ofdata, which employs only a fraction of the space required in priorsystems.

To this end the device comprises two series of index characters disposedat right angles to each other and means to support' a card to be tiledparallel to one series and ('ipposite a character of the other series,the cards being disposed in overlapping relation toeach other to permita compact arrangement of cards in the lile.

. More specifically the invention comprises a container having twoseries of index characters disposed at right angles to each other, and.a series of cards each having an indicator at its upper edge. The cardsare filed in the container parallel to one series of characters andopposite a character of the other series. The characters of the firstseries are spaced so that there are several characters in a distanceequal to the length of a card and means is provided for posi.- tioningthe cards parallel to the series of vcharacters with their indicators inline with a selected character of said series. For this `purpose thecards and container may be formed with .interengaging tongues andgrooves.

The width of the container in the direction of the last-mentioned seriesof characters may be eqn al to the length of the series plus the lengthof one card. Thus, if there are ten 'characters in the length of onecard, this additional space may be utilized for another series, such`for instance, as for indicating the months of the year and the series is`thirty characters long, then the width ot the container will be equalto the length of four cards. and although the `width .is only four cardsit will be seen that thirty cards may be filed and spaced in thislength.

.ii'iother feature of the invention resides in the provision of amovable index sl.idable along one series of index characters.

Another feature of the invention resides in the novel. form offilingcard employed.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a means ofobstructing the withdrawal of the card from its position in the cabinet.

Other features of novelty and objects of DEVICE.

20, 1922. Serial No. 538,043.

the invent-ion will be apparent from the description taken in connectionwith the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view on a re duced scale of a filing deviceconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

lFigure Q is a partial. sectional elevation, showing the finger of acard positioned in a slot;v

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of thecontainer;

Figure 4 shows one form ofi the card attachment; i

Figure 5 shows a modified form of card; Figures 6, ,7, and 8,respectively, show modilied forms of the card attachment; and

Figure 9 shows a modified form of indi eating tab. v i

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the tiling device isshown as comprising a rectangular shell consisting of the four sidemembersl, 16, 17 and 18, the upper side of this shell being open.Preferably, the lower side of the shell is closed as by a bottom 19,although this bottom is not absolutely necessary. Spaced from the bottomand the'lower edges of the side pieces of the shell is a gridcomprising` spaced parallel members or bars 20, the spaces between thesame being indicated by the numeral 32.' In the form of the inventionshown the grid is held spaced from the lower edges of the shell by thespacing blocks Q2. It will be obvious that the spacing blocks may varyin height so as to position the grid as desired relative to the loweredges of the shell. Any suitable -means may be provided for holding thegrid' against movement toward the top of the shell. As shown for thispurpose flat members 23 are secured to the sides 16 and 15 on theinterior thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention shown the longitudinal spaceindicated by each of the indexcharacters for months and days' of themonth preferably terminates on the center lines of adjacent bars so thatthe indicating end of each card for that index character is between theends of the indicating space and thus the fact that it is indicated bythat character is unmistakable. It will be apparent, however, that theinvention is not limited to havingr the spacing of the characters equalto that of the bars providing only one transverse slot between adjacentbars for all cards indicated by the correslionding index characterssince the functions and advantages of the invention in properlyspacing,` in series and clearly indicating the cards for each indexcharacter could be secured by having a series of adjacent slotsdesignated by a single index character.

rllhe present invention eniploys a special form ofcard. rl`hus, asclearly shown in the drawings, a positioning finger 35 projects from thelower edge of the card 33 and is adapted to be disposed in a slot 32between the bars 9,0, and thus properly position the card. At itsopposite or upper edge, the car is provided with an indicator. In theforni shown this indicator projects above the upper edge of the card asillustrated at 311-. Preferably, the positioning linger and indicatorare provided on a reinforcing strip 36 secured to the edge of the card.In Sonie instances it is desirable to have the indicator of differentcolors or fornis. To this end the upper end of the binding; piece 36niav be threaded as indicated at 37 and the indicator 34 provided with aferrule internally threaded so thatI it inay be screwed on to the upperedge of the binding strip. ln this inanner various forins of coloredindicators 34 inay be employed.

Another forni of the card is illustrated in Figure 5. in thismodification two positioning` fingers 35 project frein the lower Vedgeof the card and preferably these lingers 1re integral with a reinforcingstrip on the bottoni edge of the card, and this strip niay be integralwith the strip 3G at the vertical edge of the card. rThe card may besufficiently pliable to allow the second linger to he inserted after thefirst finger is in place by bendingv the card slightly to allow thelinger to slide through the slot.

lligrure G shows a modified forni of the positioning` finger having; twotonggues 35 on the saine side of the linger. rlhis forni of card inay beused when two grids are employed.

Figure 7 shows a positioning` finger which curved to prevent directvert-ical withdrawal of the card froin the grid.

Figure 8 shows another inodiiication of the positioning lingerhavingal`shape end. the projections 35 extending;` at right anales oneach side of the finger.

The object of these forrns is to obstruct the withdrawal of t-he iinpjerfrein the grid, thus prcventii'ip; the card from bein;r unintentionallyinoved out of position. To this end the linger is either broadened atone or more points transversely to the bars of the grid to width whichwill cause the broadened point to resist beine' raised through the slot,or the linger is curved transversely to the bars of the `grid. Oneillustration of such a curve is shown in Figure 9, but the invention isnot limited to any particular location of the curve along the finger,

or to any particular type of curve or projection.

lllhen the card is positioned in the grid1 and a linoadened portion ofthe linger has been lowered. through the slot, and it is desired torernove the card` the member may, if the linig" is at any point belowthe bars too lnoadl'l'or jiiassing upward'.j tln'oujrh the slot, beslipliily turned .so as to perniit the linger to pass upwardly throughthe slot.

ln. einpinyin;Y the present inrcntirni the card 33 is filed between apair of partitions parallel to the saine and with its positioning?rlinger in a slot 32 such as will bring the indicator 'l-lin line withone of the characters of the series extending; parallel to thepartitions. ln the forni of the invention illustrated one series ofcharacters, namely that extending perpendicular to the bars 2O consistsof inenibers l to 31, to represent the days of the nionth and also theabbreviations for the twelve inonths of the year.

The other' series of characters is shown as the letters of the alphabet.These letters are sliown on the upstandinp tabs on the partitionsillustrated in Figi'. l. llt will he understood, however' that theinvention not limited to either of the fornis of character shown, liliththe characters shown the cards niay be tiled alphabetically according'to the naine or subject n'iatter, tor example, and also filed inaccordance with the date, say the date that the matter to he brought upfor action. The cards coniing` up for action during' the current. monthmay be tiled in line with any of the characters freni l to 3l. Matterscomingup during fut-ure nienths will have their cards filed under one ofthe months indicated by the nionth characters i-it. ln case the monthcharacters are too close to the right hand end of the partition topci-init filing' of the card with its face forward, the card may hewithdrawn and reversed so as to bring; the index finger directly in linewith the .inonth character. Preferably, an index is slidably mounted toinove along` the series of characters 2f) on the top edge of thecontainer'. As shown, this index comprises a U-shaped ineniber havinglegis 42 one of which appears in Fig. l while the other lies behind theindex scale. straddling` the channel bar and a projection -l-l struck upfrom the base o t the U ineinber providing,l the aj'ierture ri throughwhich the characters of the series may be viewed. This index inay bemoved along to indicate the current day of the current inonth and allcards in line with the index will be takenv out at the beginning oi eachday. lt will he understood that the indiaY nurnerals on the side of thebox and on the partitions are in aiinenient parallel with the t es ofthe box. A similar index 41 inay be provided as indicated in Figure land positioned at the left of the first-mentioned index so that thecards may be positioned :for the days of the subsequent month up to theday correslionding to the current day o'l' the current month. lt will benoted that the grid in use is in fixed position in the container andserves as the support 'for the cards and that the iaciug sides oit theadjacent transversely extending bars form facing spaced longitudinalalnitnients on opposite sides of slots 32 to cooperate with a downwardprojection from a card thus preif'enting longitudinal displacement ofthe cards Awhen in adjusted position. The longitudinal distance apartoi' the adjacent slots and thc adjacent pairs ot' abut-ments, the lengthof the longitudinal space indicated by each of said index characters andthe distance between adjacent index characters of the series constitutesin each case only a small traction oi the normal length of thewell-known cards ordinarily used in card indexes. 'l`l1e',prin'1arypurpose and function of this structural arrangement is to permit anyselected set ot' cards of like size to be placed in a predeterminedlongitudinal position in the container with a visible predetermined partof each card of' the set, for example its upper end edge or an upwardlyprojecting indicator, in the same transverse plane as other cards of theset and to space the adjacent sets longitudinally of the container byonly a small fraction ot' the length of the card, those of one setpartly overlapping those of a number of the next succeeding sets in theseries, thuseifecting a great reduction in thenecessary length of thecontainer to distinctly exhibit and identify a given number of sets ofcards. The arrangement is furthemore such that when a set of cards hasbeen placed in adjusted position as above indicated, and held againstlongitudinal displacement, the said visible predetermined parts of eachcard in the set will be between the transverse planes through the endsofa space indicated by one oi said longitudinally arranged indexcharacters and thus that set will be distinctively indicated by thatcharacter. In the particular form shown. each slot or pair ot tacingabutments is between the ends ofI the space indicated by an indexcharacter and the predetermined distinctive visible parts of the cardsare directly above them and also between said transverse planes, but itis et' course obvious that this specific forni is not necessary tosecure the functions and results stated. The several partitions permitarrangement of the cards according to subject matter or names, while theslotted grid enables one to file the cards between the partitionsaccording to date, thus providing for longitudinal as well as transverseseparation and classification of a large number of cards. It should benoted that the structure of the container is very simple embodying a iewparts and none likely to get out ot' order and that a series of simplephysically similar and indistinguishable cards may with the greatesteasebe vplaced in it in such positions that by this mere location of aparticular card in the container two characteristics of the data on thatcard may be determined from the index characters. In other words,the'cards are distinctively classified in two respects, notwithstandingthe it'act that they are assembled in a minimum of space with cards of'different classifications in cont-act with each other and all arevisible at one time. No special attachments to distinguish cards arenecessary since the S0 entire operation consists merely in placing thecards in position by hand and removing them by hand when desired.

As shown by the above drawings, the projection when below the slot andbars, S5

obstructs the upward passage ot' the finger B6, so that though the cardmay be lifted upwardly, it retains its specified place in the device.

It will be understood that although the invention has been described asa card-filing device, the term card is used to apply to any sheetmaterial, envelope, book or folder.

Although a specific form of the invention has been described in detail,it is to be undei-stood that the invention is not thus limited, butincludes modifications and changes which come within the scope of theappended'claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is: v

A card filing device, comprising in combination a grid of spacedparallel bars, a pair oi parallel side members supporting said grid,disposed perpendicular to said bars. at opposite ends thereof, one ofsaid members being provided with a series of index characters eachvertically above a space betweenl two grid bars, and cards each having

